Another recount? Say it ain't so. But that's what Gov. David Paterson served up for the NY-20 Congressional District when he sent Kirsten Gillibrand to the Senate in the most infuriating (legal) nomination process known to man (or woman). With her Republican upbringing and center-right messaging on various social issues, Gillibrand was a good fit for a district that just barely supported Obama. As a senator, though, Washington has heard mum from Gillibrand so far, and I'm not holding my breath. Simply stated, in terms of profile and policy experience, she is a poor replacement for Hillary Clinton.
Meanwhile, New York's other senator, Chuck Schumer, is keeping himself busy, among other things, doing the bidding of right-wing pro-Israel groups. And now, if New York Republican Assemblyman James Tedisco is elected to the United States Congress, we can look forward to the elevation of yet another politician raised in the morass of the do-nothing New York state Legislature. (That body is currently pathetically failing at saving the downstate public-transit system in the midst of a budget crisis, due to the protests of suburban Democrats whose policy outlook seems not to extend beyond the interstate exits closest to their own homes.) Remember, this is the system that formed David Paterson, the governor with an approval rating lower than George W. Bush's ever was.
In other words, today is not a day to be proud of politics in my home state.
--Dana Goldstein
